VAYEILECH SIXTH READING

G-d then addressed Joshua from the cloud at the entrance to the Tabernacle, charging him with the mission of leading the Jewish people into the Land of Israel.

The Purpose of Effort

[G-d told Joshua,] “Be strong and courageous! For you will bring the Jewish people to the land that I have sworn [to give] them.”

We are taught that had Moses led the Jewish people into the Land of Israel, its conquest would have been virtually effortless. The intensity of Moses’ holiness would have neutralized any opposition. The same would have been true of our “conquest” of the world’s materiality: Moses’ entry into the Land of Israel would have made our task of elevating and refining the world virtually effortless.

This is the inner reason why G-d did not allow Moses into the Promised Land. G-d wants to shower us with infinite goodness. But were He to do so freely, without requiring us to “earn” it, we would feel ashamed. Thus, His desire to be good to us would backfire. Therefore, G-d made the bestowal of His infinite goodness dependent upon our efforts. When we summon our hidden potential in order to overcome obstacles to the Divine mission of perfecting the world, we earn G-d’s infinite goodness.

Devarim Rabbah – Sefaria

When a fool comes into the study hall and sees everyone busy learning, he asks, “How does a person start learning Torah?” They tell him: “First he learns to read. Then he studies the Five Books of Moses, then the Prophets, then the rest of the written Torah, then he goes on to the Oral Torah, the Talmud, the laws and the aggada.” The fool says, “When will I ever learn all this?” and he runs away. But the wise man studies a chapter a day until he completes the entire Torah. (Midrash Rabba Devarim 8:3)